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Administration Nest

Searching for Woodland Christian High School

On a beautiful April morning in 1983, I boarded a plane in

Winnipeg bound for Toronto. A week earlier I had received a call from a John Vanasselt who told me that he was the principal of Woodland Christian High School and he was inviting me to interview for a position they had open for the 1983-84 school year. Since I was a recent university graduate anxious to find work, I borrowed some money from my sister, ironed my only dress pants and dress shirt, and bought a ticket to fly to Toronto with the goal of finding a mythical place called Breslau. It felt like quite the adventure.

My flight was uneventful, and after some ‘pre Google’ researching (actually talking to a ticket agent) I bought a bus ticket. 90 minutes later, the bus driver opened the door at the traffic lights at the bottom of a hill and I walked excitedly into Breslau. I crossed Highway 7 and entered the town. Within minutes I found the

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Winter 2017

Continued on page 2

WHY WOODLAND

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC SERVICE TRIP

LEADERSHIP RETREAT SPORTS UPDATE

THE GROVE

Administration Nestcontinued from page 1

Breslau Public school. I kept walking. Then I found the Breslau Mennonite church. I kept walking. Then I found the Breslau town limit. There was no point in walking any further in that direction. I turned around and walked back into the bustling downtown and found a local resident for help. I asked if he could direct me to Woodland Christian High School. He looked at me and said, “I’ve lived in Breslau my whole life. We don’t have no high school here. “ In that moment I finally understood the saying ‘my heart sunk in my chest.’

Had I just borrowed money and flown across the country to interview with some crackpot who was running a school out of his basement? Was this some sort of cruel joke? Did this Woodland place really exist? Since I had clearly seen all of Breslau in my 10 minute walk, I decided to head back to the highway. As I headed north I saw something in the distance that I hoped was the wall of a gym. When I walked further, a one storey building came into view next to it. And as I walked down a road that would later be named Spitzig, I saw the sign. Woodland Christian High School. My relief was enormous.

As I look back on my search for Woodland that afternoon in 1983, it occurs to me that we have all been searching for that school for the past 40 years. Under John Vanasselt’s leadership we were searching for a viable school that could offer excellent Christ centered education and that could grow literally out of church basements and into a small building in a corn field. In 1983 the staff I joined worked very hard to provide for the needs of 120 predominately university streamed students. Our extracurricular programs were up and running well but without the diversity that we are able to enjoy today.

Under Gary VanArragon’s leadership our search continued. Once again we searched for the ability to meet the needs of students well, but we also sought to further define what it meant to be a community of Christian learning. We doubled in size and then had to find our way to responsible expansion and visioning for the future. Could we find a school that was open to more church communities? Could we find a school that met the needs of a wider range of learners? Could we expand our program to meet those needs? Could we find a school that honoured our Creator and the students that He made and loved?

For the past 10 years, we have continued to search under John VanPelt’s leadership. Did our building need another expansion? How could that be done responsibly? Was our program expansive enough? How should that grow? Could we grow as a school and still be an inclusive community that enfolded our students? Could we be a voice that speaks truth into the lives of students who are surrounded by a cacophony of sound that denies the truth of Jesus Christ?

On that April afternoon in 1983 I came searching for Woodland Christian High School, not knowing what it was or what it could be. That evening I was invited to join the Woodland staff and become a small part of that search. And that search continues today. It has been a fascinating journey of discovery to say the least, and in one other respect I was correct all of those years ago. It has been an adventure.

By Wayne Harris

Grade 8 Day and Parent Information Night

Every year Grade 8 students from 11 partner schools converge on the Woodland campus to experience high school for the day. Parents are also invited to tour the school and discover the benefits and uniqueness of a distinctly Christian secondary school education.

Paul Branan

At Woodland parents and students experience...

• Passionate teachers committed to student success.

• Encouragement and support to do your best.

• Developing the gifts that God has given you in all areas (leadership, music, art, drama, sport, academics, etc.)

• Being part of a community where they will… make great friends, have many opportunities to get involved, learn to lead and serve, and openly share your faith – putting it into action!

• Growing deeply in your relationships with God and others.

• Outstanding athletic and academic programs.

• A wide range of co-curricular opportunities.

• Spiritual formation, academic excellence, global awareness.

• 21st century learning environment.

• Balanced programming for students to develop mentally, socially, emotionally, spiritually, and physically.

Why Woodland?

EngageEngaging in Service

Dominican Service TripOn January 25th, 15 students embarked on a

trip of a lifetime. They travelled to the Dominican Republic on a mission to do the best they could do to be a service. From construction, packaging soup mix to visiting churches and schools these students were busy from morning to night.

Joshua VanPelt - The trip was a very good experience. It allowed me to get to know a very different culture and people. My favorite part was developing relationships with the people of the Dominican and with people on the team.

Andrew Vanderkooy - I really liked this missions trip as it helped build relationships between the team members, as well as helped us see what it is like to live in an impoverished country. I loved doing the work there like building the church, painting the school, and teaching kids english and songs. It was great that I was able to play with the kids easily even though we didn’t speak the same language. We had a bit of sickness and a stolen wallet but other than that we all had a lot of fun and worked hard to help out as much as we could.

Jasmine DeWeerd - Coming Back home has brought up mixed emotions. One of which being grateful for clean running water, hot water and flushing toilets. Walking through the communities and villages

opened my eyes to see the living conditions of impoverished people. One of the lessons I learned through this experience it that everyone no matter where you live, experience a form of poverty. Whether it be material or financial poverty which is seen in the living conditions in DR, or emotional poverty or spiritual poverty found everywhere. So often we only think of poverty having to do with material goods, and we forget that poverty affects everyone in different forms, this is a lesson that I’ve taken to heart and will remember for the rest of my life.

Cheyenne Verstraeten - Going on the DR service trip has opened my eyes and made me more thankful for things I normally take for granted, such as hot water with strong pressure as well as tap

water that is safe to drink. I feel as if a lasting bond has been created between team members. Going to beaches together was a fun way to just hang out after the long day and the debriefing. One of the most challenging and rewarding experiences was helping a construction crew by moving tons of sand

and gravel and cement blocks to the second level of a church so they could keep busy building as they try to meet a deadline in three weeks. At that time they are launching a free lunch/outreach program for children from Aguas Negras, a refugee slum within easy walking distance. Working on the construction site was very hard work, but I enjoyed seeing how the team worked together efficiently, and it was nice knowing that we were making a difference in the community, also by providing the money for the building materials for this outreach facility! Going to three different churches on the Sunday, including one at the church we were working at, was a real highlight. The way people worship there is so real and you can see they really depend on God for everything. Everybody was very passionate and open and you could just see the love that they had for Jesus. I hope Woodland continues to do this trip for a long time.

Grade 11 Leadership Retreat Jenna HiemstraAfter all of our exams were finished, the entire grade 11 class made their way up north for 3 days of leadership training. The retreat took place at an adventure camp near Halliburton called Medeba. Most of our days were spent outside in the cold, snowy weather, trying activities like high ropes and zip lining. These encouraged us to step out of our comfort zones and experience new things. We also spent time in small groups doing team building activities and continuing to develop relationships with our classmates. It was a great way to have some fun and relax after exams.

EngageDECA

Scott Stevens

Moving into our 3rd year of DECA, we were excited about the potential our group had. DECA is a extra-curricular group in which students compete against other students from across Ontario to solve business problems. Depending on their results at their regional competition students have the potential to move to the Provincial championships. This year, we were thrilled to send a team of 25 students to the regional competition. From there, we were very excited to have sent 9 students to the provincial competition in Toronto at the beginning of February. This is a significant achievement for a chapter of our size.

Robotics Kick OffDeborah Mostert:

On the first Saturday in January, 160 students, robotics alumni, and mentors from six different schools came to Woodland for the annual FIRST Robotics Competition Kick-off. Everyone was excited for the reveal of the new game: Steamworks. The day began with students attending workshops that covered topics such as Robot Quick Build, Design Process, Programming, CAD, and Tips on How to Apply for the Chairman’s Award. In the reveal video, the Steamworks game was explained. Teams gain points by adding “fuel” (wiffle balls) to the boilers, delivering gears to the airship to enable rotors to move, and at the end of the match, to climb ropes to “board” the airship. Overall the kick-off was a great way to collaborate with local teams, learn about the 2017 game, and to share a passion for robotics. For the next six weeks, all teams will be busy designing, prototyping and building their robots to accomplish as many of these tasks as possible. Stay tuned to see what the CyberCavs’ robot will do!

SEWOur theme for SEW this year was Planting Seeds of Hope with the goal of looking

at Christian Education as a profound means of planting hope in the hearts of children globally. Through our chapels, the movie buy-out, and daily devotions, we were able to see the powerful impact of Christian Education in the lives of students and the resulting blessing for families and communities through this work. Our theme verse was from Revelation 22:2 “The leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.” We are grateful that organizations like Edudeo Ministries are equipping teachers and students around the world. Our partnership with them this year focuses on the training of teacher facilitators to provide transformational education for students in Christian Schools in Nicaragua. Originally our goal was to raise funds to train one teacher facilitator. This person will be responsible for teacher training for 30 schools. This has the capacity to impact over 3000 students! We are excited to announce that the students raised over $9000 for Edudeo! Special thanks to the families who generously offered to either make cash donations or match funds with us this year. These families contributed over $6000 in funds/matching funds to bring our SEW grand total to just over $15000!! Thanks to all the students, staff, and families who helped to make this fundraising effort such a success! The exciting thing is that this campaign will come close to providing training for two facilitators instead of just one! PLT!!! It has been a blessing to be able to partner with this valuable Christian organization for our SEW event. For more information regarding Edudeo’s fantastic programs, visit https://edudeo.com/ or https://edudeo.com/walking-together/ to read more about Edudeo’s teacher training programs!

Highlights of SEW 2017 include:

• Intro chapel featuring guest speaker Mr. Phil Beck from Edudeo

• Fun fundraising activities including a pancake breakfast, movie buy-out , lunch auction, teacher vs student volleyball game, semi-formal dance, and pie in the face jars

• Inspirational daily in-class devotions and two chapels including a panel discussion from recent DR trip participants, and Ryan from “Ryan’s Well Foundation”

PLANTING SEEDS OF HOPEW O O D L A N D S . E . W . W e e k 2 0 1 7

PLANTING SEEDS OF HOPEW O O D L A N D S . E . W . W e e k 2 0 1 7

student council spotlightthegrove

Over the course of this year it has been our goal to bring the school together to have One Heart and One Mind with each other and Christ. As a Student Government we are looking ahead to foster student’s relationships with Christ and be intentional about fostering relationships between one another. Woodland is a unique school with an environment that encourages this growth.

This year Woodland celebrated it’s 40th anniversary. We feel that God was intentional when placing this theme on our hearts. The hope of the Student Government was to bring the student body and staff together to be focused on one goal and that is to seek to be closer to God. This theme has been stretched to be much more than that. Students, staff and supporters of Woodland from over the past 40 years came together to celebrate our God who has been so faithful to us. The theme has been extended to reach everyone that has been affiliated with Woodland. We are not just a school, but are a broader community of Christians who come together to support Christian education.

As semester one has come to a close and a second is just beginning we are going to continue to challenge student’s faith through Chapels and encourage meaningful conversations within the school. As a Student Government we are planning on running a Bible study which will give those who chose to participate an opportunity to be challenged in their walk and

enable them to have a deeper relationship with Christ.

As we continue through the year our theme will infiltrate all aspects of the school. An opportunity for us to come together with One Heart and One Mind will be to shine Christ’s love through Special Emphasis Week (SEW). We are working with an organization called Edudeo which provides education to children in developing countries. We will have variety of activities that will develop an awareness of the organisation and also bring the school together to focus on one goal.

The Student Government feels privileged to serve and initiate activities that will help develop our theme this year. As people look in from the outside, we want to be seen as being united behind one goal. We want to be a shining light to this broken world so that all will believe that Jesus is our Lord and Savior.

The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind—Just as you, Father, are in me and I in you, So they might be one heart and mind with us. Then the world might believe that you, in fact, sent me. – John 17:21 (MSG)

– Tyler Kuephfer

Adopt-A-FamilyFor the sixteenth year in a row, the “Wrap-Up” for Adopt-A-Family

took place and it was a great success. Each class was responsible for selecting, wrapping and purchasing gifts for one family. A total of 14 families were supported through Children & Family Services by our drive this year and the value of the gifts students purchased was almost $5000. Thank you to all the students (and parents) who helped a struggling family this Christmas.

1058 Spitzig Road | Breslau, ON, N0B 1M0PHONE: 519-648-2114 | FAX: 519-648-3402

www.woodland.on.ca

PRINCIPALMr. John Van Pelt

OFFICE ADMINISTRATORMrs. Pamela VanderZwaag

BUSINESS MANAGERMr. Neil Klapwyk

DIR. OF ADVANCEMENTMr. Paul Branan

Coming EVENTS @ Woodland

WCHS

Sports UpdateIt has been a busy, exciting year so far for our Woodland Cavaliers.

They have been training hard both individually and as teams, honouring the Lord with the way they use their gifts. We encourage our athletes to focus on “striving for excellence with integrity and sportsmanship”, as is written on the District 8 Code of Ethics banner hanging in our gymnasium. Hanging directly across from that banner are the four OFSAA Team Sportsmanship Award banners that our teams have taken home in the past, and they are a strong reminder of how important it is to practice and play the right way.

The fall season included competition in Boys and Girls Cross Country, Boys Volleyball, and Girls Basketball. Our Cross Country team had an enjoyable season, improving steadily throughout, with many athletes achieving personal bests. A highlight of the season was Woodland hosting the provincial Christian Schools Championship (OCSSAA) at Bechtel Park in Waterloo. Many thanks to head coach Marianne Bruinsma for taking the lead on putting that outstanding event together.

The Jr Boys volleyball team entered the season expecting to have a rebuilding year with only 3 returning players. It turned out that it wasn’t a true rebuilding year after all, as the boys ended up being one of the top teams by the end of the season. They qualified for the D8 playoffs before losing a close match 3-1 to the eventual D8 Champions St. Mary’s in the semi-final.

The Sr Boys volleyball team had a very challenging season due to injuries. The sport of volleyball very much revolves around the setter position, and both our starting setter and our backup setter went down with significant ankle injuries during the season. Despite those setbacks, the boys battled extremely hard, finishing 2nd in regular season play and defeating a strong team from Resurrection in the semi-final. They took on our rivals from Rockway in the D8 Final and put up an incredible fight, but eventually falling 15-12 in the 5th set to take home D8 Silver. It was an incredible story of perseverance in the face of trials.

The Sr Girls basketball team also had a rebuilding season with a smaller number of players available to participate than usual.

They stepped up to the challenge, however, and put in a great effort throughout the season. It culminated with an excellent 4th place finish at the OCSSAA Championship in Hamilton. We thank the graduating players for their unwavering commitment and wish them well in the future.

The Jr Girls basketball team had a fantastic season. They took home District 8 Gold and CWOSSA Gold, both of which happened for the first time in Woodland history. They went completely undefeated in D8 and CWOSSA play - absolutely incredible stuff! We look forward to hanging two brand-new championship banners in the gym soon. The players were excited and thankful for the huge turnout from the Woodland community at the D8 Final, where students, parents, grandparents, and alumni filled the stands and rocked the gym in support of our team.

The winter season is well underway, with Boys Basketball (Jr, Sr) and Girls Volleyball (Midget, Jr, Sr) training and competing four days a week. We look forward to seeing how the rest of their seasons turn out!

Jamie Wright

SPRING AUCTION - APRIL 1 - 5:00FRENCH TRIP - APRIL 14 - 17WOODLAND ROCKS - MAY 3 - 7:30

SPRING CONCERT - JUNE 7 - 7:30CHOIR TOUR - JUNE 2 TO JUNE 6GOLF TOURNAMENT - JUNE 17

GRADUATION - JUNE 29 - 7:30

Friends of Woodland Learning Tour...For now...January 17-28, 2019 Follow in the footsteps of Jesus of

Nazareth and his Apostles as you explore the Christian heritage of Israel. From Jesus’ birthplace in Bethlehem to his crucifixion and resurrection in the Holy City of Jerusalem, explore the stories and scenes that set the foundation for our entire faith.